Bypass valve



YUNVITED STATES Patented Jan. 31, 1939 PATENT OFFICE BYPASS VALVE Robbie0. Tucker, Conroe, Tex Application Iune 19, 1936, Serial No. 86.047

' 3 Claims. (01. 137-68) 1 This application relates to a valve forcontrolling the flow of oil or the like, into tanks or storagereceptacles, and has particular reference to an arrangement whereby theoil will be perf'l mitted to flow into onetank until the level in saidtank reaches a' predetermined point, where-' upon the flow willautomatically be shifted to a second tank or receptacle.

, It has heretofore been' the practice to provide lo manually operatedvalves for the purpose of controlling theflow of oil into one of aplurality of tanks or receptacles so that when one receptacle is filledthe flow can be turned into another. At-

V tempts have also been made to provide automatic f IB means forshifting the flow to accomplish this result. .In such attempts, however,various difficulties have been encountered, such as for in- T stance thecreation of gas pockets which might possibly diminish or shut oi theflow. It has IL 20 also been experiencedthat the previously designeddevices are adversely afiected by weather conditions, and theirefficiency has .been impaired by corrosion of the various parts, etc.Furthermore, the prior art devices have required numerious connectionswith the roof or cover of the tank or receptacle, andhave, therefore,involved J considerable expense and special work in instal: lation, andhave increased the number of necessary connections with the tank orreceptacle top when it is desirable to reduce the number ofsuchconnections in so far as possible. "It is an object of thisinvention to overcome the various diiiiculties and defects which havebeen encountered in the prior art, and to provide an' automatic devicewhich is sure in its operation and is not adversely affected by weath-'er conditions.

' I ,It is a further object to provide a device which requires a minimumnumber of connections with 4 Vthe tank roof or top, and involves aminimum cost of installation. It is a further object to provide a devicein which all working parts are fully protected fromthe elements.

Itis a further object to provide a device in vwhichthe formation of gaspockets is impossible. With the above and other objects in view, thisinvention contemplates the various parts and combinations illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, it being understood, however, that the same isby way of example only, and is not to be taken -,."2 {S' in any way alimitation upon the scope of this invention. Such limitation is to beonly by the prior art and by the terms of the appended i claims. t

Referring now more particularly to the drawing in which likenumeralsindicate corresponding parts throughout:

an intake pipe 2, and passes from this pipe 2 through the valve housing3 and the nipple 4' into the tank I. The pipe 2 and the nipple 4 areconnected to the valve housing 3 in any suitable manner, preferably bythreads such as illustrated, and the nipple 4 is connected to the roofof the tank I at 5 by any means such as welding or the like.

Surrounding the outlet from the valve housing 3 into the nipple 4 is avalve seat 6 adapted to cooperate with the valve facing I on the lowerface of the-valve member 8 so that when the valve member 8 is in itslower position liquid will be prevented from flowing into the nipple 4and the tank I. On its upper face, the valve memher 8 is provided with asecond valve facing 9 adapted to cooperate with a valve seat l0 leadingto an upper chamber within the valve housing. In Fig. 1 the valve isshown with the valve facing 9 in sealing engagement with the valve seatl0 so as to close the opening into the upper cham- Communicating withthe upper chamber ber, of the valve housing is a'second pipe H whichleads to one or more other tanks or receptacles which are to be filled.This pipe II is threadedly or otherwise connected to the valve housing3. I

The valve member 8 is secured to the lower end of a valve stem l2 bymeans of a nut l3 or other suitable connection. This valve stem 12extends upwardly through. apacking box l4 formed above the upper chamberof the valve housing and is surrounded by a packing l5 within said box.The packing I5 is compressed in the usual manner by means of a gland IEheld in position by a nut l1. 7

Rigidly' secured to the upper portion of the valve housing and extendinglaterally therefrom in a position adjacent the packing box l4 justreferred to is a support I8 which receives the lower ends of a pluralityof supporting bolts [9. These bolts are secured to the support 18 bymeans of nuts 20 or the like, and at their upper ends are secured bynuts 2I in a similar manner to a substantially horizontal supportingplate 22. This plate 22 surrounds and is rigidly connected to theinverted cup-shaped housing 23 within which is received a compressionspring 24. The compression spring 24 bears against the upper surface ofa plate 25 which is in turn carried by the upper end of the valve stemI2. The plate 25 is normally held upwardly and the spring 24 ismaintained in compressed position: by 'means; of .a lever 26 pivotedat'21'to anear 28' on one side of the cup-shaped housing 23. This leveris bifurcated to straddle the valve stem I2 and extend to the oppositeedge of the plate 25. At its oppositea end 29 it is normally supportedby the latch 30 carried by the lever 3|. This lever 3I is *proVidd'withan upward extension 32 pivotedzat 33v to=a second ear 34 mounted on theouterface of the cupshaped housing 23. It will be appreciated that bythemeans just..described...thevalver8 is. normally maintained with its.facing. 9.1m seated .en- .gagement withthe valve. seat. lllsoastoprevent the .flow of oil. .fromthe pipe.. 2 .into. the pipe. I I andpermit the flow of oil from the pipe 2. into .the.nipple 4.and the tankI.

' The. lever' 3 I. extends. laterally..away from .the valve stem.:I2,.and. is adapted .tobecontacted by ahead 35. on.theupperendof a rod36. This rod 3fiis7s'lidably carried by. a bushing 31. mounted in a'laterally..extendingportion of. the. support I8 and-bye guide38.carried.-by the top. of the tank .or. other receptacle. ..This. rod.passes through an opening in the.tank.top and on its lowerend isconnected with..a fioat. 38..whi'chmay-be of..any suitable construction.

...In operation,..the..mechanism is firstset .in the positionillustrated in. Eig. 1: so that. oil. or.other .liquidis permitted. toflow fromstheintakejpipe 2 lthroughQthe. valve housing, past the valveseat 6, through the nipple 4, and into the tank .I. When the level .inthe tank; I. reaches apredetermined point howeven'lthe fioat38.connected .tothe rod 36..will rise. and. causethehead'. 35 on this.rod to raise. the. outer end. ofdthe. .level 3 I. When this takes..place,.. the. latch .30..mounted,. .on this lever will swing outfromunder. the end29of the lever 26. andwill releasethislever soastoallow it to be swung .downwardlyby the? force stored. up in the ,spring-24. ..The..spring.% 24; Willa-thereupon.cause the.downwar.d movement.of...the..plate 25 and. the valve stem I2v until the .valve 8.is..caused tomove .to. 'its' lower, position, whereupon the.- valve.facing twill seat.- againstlthe; valve. seat; 6,.and close. offcommunication between-Jthe'intake.pipe. 2. and the nipple 4. .Oilor..dther liquid=.will.-thereupon be preventedlfromlflowingeinto ;thetank. .I, .and .the tankwillnot. be..'a'llowed to overflow. .-.At.the.same time,."the.aforesaid movement oi.the valve 8..wi11 cause it toleave the valve seat I0 and to open communicationrbetween .-.the..intake pipe .2 and Ithe :pipe II,ithus...by;passing.thaliquid. andconducting. it. to another 1 storage. reservoir. In. its secondposition; the .mechanismisillustrated in 'F'igjj2 .in which itcwill: beseen that..the valve. 8 is in. contact. with its .lower. seats and the.path taken by. the ..liquid. .is Jindicated. :by .the. arrows. .Theexpanded-.position .of;-.-the asp ring-=24 .is illustrated in the upperportion of Fig.12, together with-the releasedposition ofsthelevers 3Land 26.

..'It v is .not.ed.;thatthe only. moving-portions of this device whichare exposed to the weather in any way are the fulcrums of the levers 26and 3|, and that these are protected by the laterally extending supportplate 22. It is noteworthy that the cup-shaped housing 23 normally formsa substantially complete enclosure when taken with the plate 25, whichinclosure fully protects the spring 24 from the corrosive effects of theelements.

It is further noteworthy that the construction of the valve housing 3'iSSllCh.thatfIl0 gas pockets areformed in either position of the valve 8which .could in any way obstruct the flow of liquid through the valve.

coverplate supported on said body abovethe;

same, a spring bearing upon saidstem, trigger .mechanism controllingsaid stem, a housing carried by said plate and enclosing saidspring,said plate extending laterally of .saidhousing, .said

trigger mechanism comprising. a memberv pivotally mounted on the outsideof said housing, the

pivot of said member lying closely beneath said cover plate and thusprotected from the weather.

2. .The combination with a support, ofa bypass valve mounted thereonandhaving a vertically disposed reciprocablestem, a pair of..horizontalplates; means rigidly connecting saidplates tohold them in spacedparallel relation, the lowermostof said plateslfitting overandsupported.on

said valve,. a springbearing upon said stem, a

housing. carried .by.'the-..uppermost of saidpl'ates andenclosingsaidspring, a1id trigger mechanism controlling said stem .and. comprisingsapair...of interengaging members pivotallymounted-on said housing;between. said. plates, the. pivots of said members lying.closelybenea'th the .uppermost. of said plates,.and thus. protected fromthe weather.

3. The .combination with .a support, 'of an elongated valve.body-mounted. at its lower .end onusaid. support. and having a .pair of.branch sockets extending .laterally therefrom,..a valve seat..in.saidbody .between saidsockets, and. an oppositely facing valve seat-between.onev of said sockets and the. lower. end of said valve..body,. a

reciprocable. valve adapted to. selectively engage either. ofsaidseatsand .movable from one .topthe other, said valve comprising a stemextending axiallyoisaid body and..projec.ting fromtheupper. end.thereof, a cover plate. supported above said valve body, .aspring.andtrigger mechanismv controlling said-valve, a. housingsupportedby saidcover .plate. and. enclosing. said.) spring; said spring bearing upontheupper end of. said valve stemrand tending to move saidvalve/downwardly outof engagement with the'lfirstmentioned. seat andinto. engagement with the; second-andtsaid trigger .mechanism comprisinga .member ..-pivotally mounted on. said housingclosely beneath.saidcover plate to releasably. restrain the down ward movement of saidvalve.

:ROBBIE C. TUCKER.

